Chapter 5
When Lord Reginald retired to his library that evening, he found Elias waiting for him.
The room was comfortable—perhaps even Lord Reginald’s favorite in all of Edenbridge Hall. It smelled of old books, knowledge, and a hint of fine cigars. Lord Reginald never smoked himself, but he kept cigars—the good ones—for when he had political guests in the house. He came here to read, to work, to ponder the ideas that plagued him most. This evening, however, the room did not offer its usual contented solitude. Tonight, it was tense with anger.
“Elias.” Lord Reginald greeted his nephew in an exasperated tone.
“Uncle.”
“What can I do for you?”
Elias stiffened in the embroidered satin-backed, late baroque chair in which he had been sprawled. “How about an explanation?”
“We discussed this, and I owe you nothing of the sort.”
“I think you do.”
“And that changes nothing.”
Elias rose from his seat and came close to Lord Reginald. “This is both stupid and dangerous,” he warned. “Have you thought of that? Have you at all considered the safety of these women?”
“I don’t think they have anything to fear.”
“Well, I do. And what about them? What do they think?”
“Of what?”
Elias fumed. “Of the curse that lives in this household?”
“They won’t be harmed.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“I have trust.”
“What a lovely sentiment. But sentiment will not protect them.”
Lord Reginald’s brows furrowed, and he looked upon his nephew with heartache. “I think it will be good for us both, Elias—to have them here.”
“It’s selfish. I won’t begin to try and argue the point. If you were thinking rationally, you would know this to be true.”
“I am not some senile old man! I am thinking rationally. We have been isolated in this house for far too long!”
“So that’s it? You are lonely, and so you are preying on this young woman—using her to satisfy some degenerate need.” His lip curled in disgust, and Lord Reginald laughed.
“Does that sound like me? Like your old Uncle Reginald?”
“No! It sounds nothing like you, and so I have to wonder what in the world has gotten into your head. What could be motivating this gross disregard for the safety of two women?—”
Lord Reginald took his seat, looking very much like a king in his throne. “Is it their safety that concerns you? Or is it your own?”
“They might be one and the same.”
“Your secret is safe, Elias.”
The young man gazed into the fire and rested his hand against his forehead. There was heat inside and out. “The potion hasn’t been working like it used to.”
“That’s true,” Lord Reginald agreed. “But you’ve felt it coming on every time, haven’t you? There’s a warning. You can retreat into the woods if you feel the potency is failing.”
“And what if it continues to fail? What if there comes a time when the change happens and I don’t make it to the woods?”
“I can install locks on the doors.”
“And how will you explain that?”
“A modern upgrade?”
Elias looked over his shoulder at his uncle and was dismayed to see him smiling. “This isn’t a joke.”
“No, it isn’t. But you can’t go on like this forever. No one can live in such isolation. What will happen once I am gone?”
“I will happily live in isolation!”
“There is no happiness in the absence of humanity, Elias.”
“You speak so confidently, but you have no idea what it feels like to lose control.”
“You need to learn how to exist in this world.”
“Why?”
“Because this is where you are. This is where your family is. You belong here.”
“I belong nowhere. I am an aberration and a danger to all those around me.”
“You have been no danger to me.”
“That’s different. You raised me. It’s with other people that I don’t trust myself.”
“As I have said, I have trust—in you. You need to learn to do the same.”
Elias shook his head. “Uncle, I beg you. Send these women away—for their own safety.”
“Elias, if you feel the change coming, you will head to the wood. Everything will be fine.”
“What if the girl is out there? What if she sees? What if…What if I…” He couldn’t bring himself to say it. Elias was a different man when the change came upon him. He couldn’t trust his judgment or his self-control.
“The girl is curious about the forest now, but once she learns of the dangers, she will shy away.”
Elias shook his head, unconvinced. “You don’t know her, Uncle.”
“And nor do you. But we will get to know her. I promise it will be a delight to have two such charming and lovely women in our household. It will be just like the old days when your mother was still with us.”
Elias grumbled. He was confident that this was nothing like having his mother home again. “I’ve spoken my concerns, and I solemnly urge you to reconsider your position.”
“I hear you and I urge you to reconsider your reserve.”
Elias scoffed, one hand on the door. “Uncle, my reserve is the only thing standing between those women and my curse.”